Migrants say they are being discriminated against in Mid-Canterbury, according to a new report.

The Mid Canterbury Migrants and Newcomers report shows that some migrants are finding it hard to rent a home and go about their daily lives because of racism.

One interviewee complained of feeling and seeing racism, while another said newcomers "are a minority and treated as such".

Youth migrants also reported racism in the schools, with several students saying they felt more comfortable in Christchurch because they were "treated as normal" there.

"[The] majority of youth that were from another country or Maori from another town said that they experienced bullying and racism," the report found.

Several interviewees also said they had trouble finding a property to rent and believed racial discrimination may have played a part.

"I wonder if it was because of my nationality or religion," one said.

The Ashburton District has continued to have strong population growth in the past seven years. Census data shows the total population has increased 13.4 per cent since 2006, making it the fifth-fastest growing district in New Zealand.

The ethnic composition has also changed, with the number of those identifying with Asian population groups tripling since 2006 and the number belonging to the Pacific population more than twice what it was.

Ashburton Mayor Angus McKay said the findings were concerning.

"There is no such need for that in a community such as Ashburton. That's why the report was done - to see if that was actually happening. It is, and now it's up to the community to do its best to stop it from happening."

Several real estate agents in the district expressed concern.

Ray White property manager Veronica Monaghan said she would "never" work with a property owner who showed racist attitudes.

"If I got a whiff of that from any owners, I wouldn't work with them. There's absolutely no way I would discriminate or expect my owners to discriminate - be it where they are from or the colour of their skin."

Raewyn Barclay, who worked on the report in her former role as Safer Ashburton's community development officer, said the results were "very concerning" and "very alarming".

Feedback from interviewees was not entirely negative, with some saying that they like the "central location" of Mid Canterbury.

"Generally the region is very welcoming of newcomers. Nice people, good school," said one interviewee, while another said they enjoyed the array of recreational activities available in the district.

The Mid Canterbury Migrants and Newcomers research was undertaken to assess progress on migrant settlement. The survey came as a result of 15 focus groups involving more than 100 participants from 47 nationalities to supplement work done in 2009.